. 282 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE 
female remains ashy, but ligliter than before. The second year the 
breast of the male begins to i)Ut on its pink or rosy feathers; tlie red 
foreiiead becomes a little broader and brighter in both sexes. 
After the second year, the males annually increase the amount of rose 
color on head and breast, and the very old ones are very brilliant in the 
breeding season; and tliey are perceptibly larger than the young males. 
The very old females also have a few touches of red on the throat and 
Bides. 
A specimen, with nest and eggs, from XJnalaklik, Norton Sound, 
showed darker markings than usual. This was pronounced by Dr. Coues 
to be his f uscescens, as well as others from Kadiak and Sitka. 
I have noticed that all the specimens from near the seacoast are darker 
(slightly) than those from localities far inland. 
At St. Michael's, wh'ere there are no trees and few bushes, they fre- 
quently build in clumps of grass. 
Those birds have no song, but their cheerful twittering and chirping, 
their fearless and sociable ways, their bright plumage and elegant nest, are 
sufficient to make them general favorites ; and they are far more worthy 
to bear the name of robin than the clumsy, greedy, pilfering thrush that 
usually goes by that name. D. 
64. Leucosticte griseinucha Bon. (323.) Gray -necked Finch. 
This species abounds on the Pribylof and Aleutian Islands. A number 
of specimens were obtained on St. George's, in August, ailiiough they 
were moulting at the time. Captain Smith's unerring aim brought down 
the first specimen, with many other valuable birds, for which we are 
indebted to him. 
This beautiful bird had no song at that season except a clear chirp, 
sounding like " W^et-a-w^et-a-w^e-weet." It was on the wing a great 
part of the time, avoiding lighting on the ground, but darting rapidly in 
a series of ascending and descending curves, now swinging on the broad 
top of an umbelliferous plant, and now alighting on some ledge of the 
perpendicular bluff, jumping from point to point, and seemingly delight- 
ing in testing their own agility. 
Their nest is a simple hollow on one of these ledges, provided with a 
few straws or bits of moss. They lay four white eggs in May. In 
August the young were fully fledged. They are graminivorous, appa- 
rently, but I found two or three small beetles in the crop of one which 
I skinned. Also received from Kadiak and Uualashka, through Bischoff 
and Dr. Minor. D. 
65. Leucosticte littoraZis Baird, n. s. (324a.) Island Finch. Received 
from Sitka through Bischoff and J. Hepburn. (See Prof Baird's paper.) 
D. 
66. Plectrophcines nivalis Meyer. (325.) Snow Bunting. Goes in 
flocks; at times excessively common, at times totally absent. Builds 
